I've spent much of this summer in some pretty remote towns (currently in one with a population of 1400), so my path hasn't really crossed any book stores. On a trip into Amarillo last month to drop off and pick up folks at the airport, I found myself with some free time and within 10 miles of a Barnes and Noble and so off I went. Needless to say I went a little wild in there. Not only did I score copies of Vogue's Stichionary Vol II and Vol III at 50% off, but I also I hit the buy 2 get 1 table without abadon. I'm a non-discrimatory reader, if it has words I will read it, so I often just grab based on whatever happens to strike my fancy on any given day. It's a strange thing really, I'll read anything because I don't want to judge a book by it's cover, but ultimately, when shopping in a bookstore without a specific genre/author/book in mind, the cover is really all you have to go on....
I should note that this doesn't mean I like everything I read, I have definitley been disappointed by books, I just truely believe that all the words that are written and published deserve a chance. Writing well enough to get published is an amazing feat, which requires passion and grit. Every one of those books deserves to be purchased and read by someone. To be honest, sometimes bookstores make me sad because I know I'll never be able to read everything in them.
Anyways, as usual, I digress (this is why I'll never have a novel published), on to the books. I, have, of course, finished all three in just over four weeks, which means I'm bookless for the plane ride home (Ugh). The first, was "Confessions of a Shopaholic", pretty mainstream, and for a good reason. The character is strangley lovable, I think the rest of the confessions will be in my future. The other two, however, are very much not mainstream, or at leas they weren't to me. Both were great in their own ways.
Three Bags Full by Leonie SwannThe best word to describe this book is clever. I was attracted to it for two reasons. 1) The sheep of course! and 2) The Carl Hiaasen blurb on the front. I read "Nature Girl" sometime last year and laughed out loud, people on the plane thought I was nuts!
A little googling tells me that this was originally published under the title Glenkill in Germany. It is witty and entertaining and I'd definitely recommend it. It's the type of book that you could read on the beach because it's a good story, or you could read more seriously as well because it has some really interesting perspectives.
The last book I read did something that a book hasn't done to me in a long time. Kept me up all night. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. Three evenings is all this one took. It's not a page turning mystery, although it does have a bit of intrigue in it, but it is one of those books that just consumes you. I felt like the characters were with me, living right here next door. I was pulling for Josey to find happiness, and stayed up until the last page to find out if she did. It's one of those books that just gets to you, but it's really hard to say why. This is a good summer read. No tears, no crying, just a story that you want to know the end of, but your sad to leave the world it portrays when you finish.
I'm like you on book selection. I often get grabbed by the covers (though I've since learned that I'm MOSTLY better off avoiding most "modern novels" among the bestsellers after reading a few where I wanted to slap the characters - all of 'em - upside the head. I mean seriously: you sleep with your boyfriend's best friend and then think there will be no consequences? But I digress...)
ReplyDeleteOnce at the used book store nearest me, I mentioned to the clerk that I taught at a university. She looked at the pile of books I had and said, "History or English?" We both kind of laughed when I said "Biology." But that's how I am.